A Handheld Neutron-Detection Sensor System Utilizing a New Class of Boron Carbide Diode

Authors

Kevin Osberg, LSI Logic Corporation, Fort Collins, CO
Nathan Schemm, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
M. Susan Hallbeck, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Sina Balkir, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Peter A. Dowben, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Jennifer I. Brand, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Michael W. Hoffman, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

12-1-2006

Comments

Published by IEEE; IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL, VOL. 6, NO. 6, DECEMBER 2006. ©2006 IEEE. Permission to use. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/

Abstract

A handheld neutron-detection sensor application is described in this paper. The sensor system utilizes a new class of boron carbide diode that interacts with incoming neutrons. To interface with the boron carbide diode, an integrated front end is designed in a 1.5-μm standard CMOS technology. With the diode and front-end microchip, a handheld neutron-detection system was realized with an embedded microcontroller for real-time processing. The handheld detector operation was then tested with a plutonium–beryllium neutron source. Test and measurement results confirm the validity of the approach and the functionality of the design.